Chapter 763: Even the Players Who Did Not Play Got Tormented
With 5 minutes and 34 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel substituted Paul George out of the game.
The move was meant to protect him.
Chen Yan's relentless scoring was placing enormous pressure on the young forward, and Vogel was worried that George's confidence might completely collapse if it continued.
The moment Lance Stephenson returned to the floor, he started causing trouble again.
He quickly found an opportunity.
Stephenson received a pass from Hibbert on the wing and buried a 3 pointer.
After the shot went in, Stephenson inexplicably turned toward Chen Yan and celebrated by pretending to play an air guitar.
He grinned like an idiot.
Paul George, sitting on the bench, immediately looked miserable.
George Hill, who was seated courtside in a suit, wore the same expression.
Both of them knew exactly where this was headed.
Beep!
The referee immediately blew his whistle.
Technical foul on Stephenson.
Under the officials interpretation, Stephenson's gesture was directed at an opponent and therefore considered taunting.
The referee did not hesitate.
"What?"
Stephenson spread his hands in confusion.
However, he did not argue and quickly returned to the defensive end.
New York came back the other way.
After receiving a pass from Curry, Chen Yan did not make any adjustment.
He simply rose over Stephenson and buried a long 2 pointer.
Then, after the ball dropped through the net, Chen Yan turned toward Stephenson and performed his signature 3 point celebration.
No whistle came.
Stephenson stared at the referee.
What?
He had celebrated toward Chen Yan and immediately received a technical foul.
1 possession later, Chen Yan had done almost the same thing, and the officials ignored it completely.
Was that not blatant favoritism?
Chen Yan looked at him with an amused expression.
Yes.
The world could be unfair.
Chen Yan was the reigning MVP, the league scoring champion, and one of the biggest stars in basketball.
Stephenson was an unproven young player.
Expecting the 2 of them to receive identical treatment was unrealistic.
Stephenson's frustration immediately boiled over.
On the next possession, he became impatient and desperately wanted to answer Chen Yan.
Chen Yan recognized his mindset at once.
He pressured Stephenson continuously and forced him into a mistake.
Curry reacted instantly and stole the ball.
The Knicks turned defense into offense.
Chen Yan sprinted toward the top of the arc.
Curry launched a long pass directly into his hands.
Their chemistry was seamless.
Chen Yan caught the ball while stepping forward, naturally adjusted into his preferred rhythm, and immediately rose for the shot.
His tall, slender frame made the motion look effortless.
When he jumped, his body seemed to float.
Even his shooting form alone was enough to excite the crowd.
At the highest point of his release, Chen Yan gently snapped his wrist.
The basketball spun rapidly through the air and traced a perfect arc toward the rim.
Swish.
The net snapped.
George Hill slowly shook his head from the sideline.
Stephenson had ruined everything.
Over the next several possessions, Stephenson moved frantically without the ball, constantly searching for another opportunity.
Chen Yan did not defend him particularly tightly.
In Chen Yan's eyes, Stephenson was not enough of an offensive threat to justify wasting energy.
Finally, with 3 minutes and 50 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, Stephenson found his opening.
He used his movement to receive the ball, drove into the paint, and finished a difficult reverse layup.
Stephenson's individual ability was never the problem.
The problem was that his judgment sometimes seemed to disappear completely.
Players like him could become a nightmare for opponents.
Unfortunately, they could also become a nightmare for their own teammates.
His strange decisions often hurt the team just as much as they irritated the opposition.
After scoring, Stephenson started again.
This time, he simply stared directly at Chen Yan.
He thought he had finally figured it out.
He had not spoken.
He had not made any gesture.
Surely the referee could not call a technical foul just for looking at someone.
Chen Yan stared back.
The 2 held eye contact for about 3 seconds.
Then Chen Yan suddenly smiled.
Stephenson became confused.
Why was he smiling?
Did Chen Yan think he was funny?
In the next second, the referee walked toward Stephenson and blew the whistle.
Technical foul.
Chen Yan had already noticed the referee approaching and understood what was about to happen.
It was Stephenson's 2nd technical foul of the game.
The official immediately made the ejection signal.
Stephenson looked completely innocent.
He tried to argue, but his teammates quickly grabbed him and pulled him away.
They were genuinely worried he might lose control and do something even worse toward the referee.
The fans watching the game burst into laughter.
"He got ejected just like that?"
"Has anyone ever gained anything from provoking Chen Yan?"
"Stephenson is unbelievable."
"Not many players even dare challenge Chen Yan anymore."
"At least you have to respect the courage."
"When Chen Yan starts smiling, somebody is about to suffer."
Vogel had no choice but to send Paul George back onto the court.
Chen Yan continued his offensive assault.
By halftime, he had already accumulated 37 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Paul George looked up at Chen Yan's numbers and helplessly shook his head.
Stephenson, you idiot.
You collected 2 technical fouls and disappeared into the locker room.
Now I am the one left here to suffer.
The Knicks led 66 to 53 at halftime.
New York held a 13 point advantage.
When the 2nd half began, Paul George immediately found an opportunity on the Pacers 1st offensive possession.
He used a screen to shake Chen Yan.
The Knicks were late switching, allowing George to attack the paint.
Before DeAndre Jordan could rotate over, Paul George rose and threw down a 1 handed dunk.
66 to 55.
After landing, George roared toward the ceiling.
He had been under tremendous pressure all night.
Chen Yan had tormented him possession after possession.
That dunk finally gave him an opportunity to release some frustration.
But halfway through his roar, a voice suddenly reached him.
"What are you doing? Get back on defense!"
Paul George turned around.
Chen Yan was already past half court.
Curry fired a long pass ahead.
Chen Yan accelerated at full speed.
1 step outside the 3 point line, he suddenly stopped.
Granger jumped at the fake.
Chen Yan instantly changed rhythm, lowered his body, and exploded toward the restricted area.
Another signature hesitation move.
Indiana's defense was completely scattered.
Chen Yan had turned the possession into chaos by himself.
His transition speed was simply too fast.
Only Darren Collison had managed to retreat into the paint.
Chen Yan adjusted his footwork.
He stepped right with his right leg, raised the ball above his head with both hands, then took a long step left.
Halfway through the move, Chen Yan suddenly seemed to realize something.
Why was he making the play so complicated?
Collison was the only defender standing beneath the basket.
Chen Yan immediately jumped straight up and dunked over him.
The crowd exploded.
"He really used a Euro step just to dunk on a point guard!"
"All those moves, and then he finished it with pure force."
"He did all that setup when he could have just gone straight through him."
"That was ridiculous."
The play was completely unnecessary.
It was also spectacular.
Paul George looked increasingly demoralized.
On offense, he stopped trying to force his own shots and focused instead on moving the ball for his teammates.
On Indiana's next possession, Granger made a mid range jumper.
68 to 57.
The Pacers had not surrendered.
Chen Yan continued attacking Paul George.
He waved everyone away and demanded complete isolation space.
At the top of the arc, Chen Yan repeatedly dribbled between his legs.
Paul George looked increasingly nervous.
At this point, he almost preferred Chen Yan simply rising over him for a 3 pointer.
Watching Chen Yan perform a long series of dribble moves directly in front of him felt like humiliation.
Bang.
Chen Yan suddenly changed rhythm and exploded right.
Indiana had no intention of allowing him to drive freely.
Granger immediately came over from the side to help.
Hibbert retreated toward the paint and prepared to challenge anything at the rim.
Chen Yan pulled the ball backward with a reverse dribble between his legs.
Then he suddenly jumped.
Paul George and Granger closed around him.
There was no room to shoot.
Somehow, Chen Yan still twisted his body through the narrow gap between the 2 defenders.
At first, the fans thought he was attempting an impossible reverse layup from near the free throw line.
Chen Yan forcefully threw the basketball beneath Granger's arm.
Bang.
The ball struck the backboard.
Chen Yan landed and immediately accelerated toward the basket.
Only then did everyone understand.
He had thrown the ball off the glass to himself.
Chen Yan rose again and completed the self alley oop.
The Pacers players could only stare at one another.
Was Chen Yan playing basketball against them, or using them as props in a show?
That possession perfectly represented the entire 3rd quarter.
Chen Yan played 10 minutes in the period and produced 19 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
By the end of the 3rd quarter, his scoring total had already reached 56 points.
Reaching 60 was no longer a question.
It was practically inevitable.
Every time Chen Yan scored, he glanced toward George Hill on the sideline.
His expression seemed to ask the same thing.
Did I not tell you?
George Hill sat there feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
He had not played a single second tonight.
Yet somehow, Chen Yan was tormenting him too.
....
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